Air-brake attachment.



PATENTED APR. 2a, 1907.

R. P. WILLIAMS.'

AIR BRAKE ATTACHMENT.

APPLICATION FILED 1730.11, 1906.

WITNESSES Mm y A TTOHNEYS ROBERT PORT WILLIAMS, OF SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA.

AIR-BRAKE ATTACHMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 23, 1907.

Application filed December 11, 1906. Serial No. 347,262.

To all 1072 0112 it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, ROBERT PORT WVIL- LIAMS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Santa Barbara, in the county of Santa Barbara and State of California, have invented a new and Improved Air-Brake Attachment, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to certain improvements in air brakes for railway cars, and more particularly to means for automatically operating said brake in case the truck of any one of the cars becomes derailed.

The object of the invention is to provide means whereby any variation in the plane of the car truck in respect to the car body will automatically open a valve of the air brake system and cause the instant application of the air brakes throughout the train.

Theinvention consists in certainfeatures of construction and combination of parts,

all of which will be fully set forth hereinafter and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompany ing drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both the figures, in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through my improved air escape valve; and Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a portion of a car provided with my improved device. Fig. 3 is a detail view showing a portion of the yoke stem.

Beneath the body of the car 1 and extending longitudinally thereof I provide the customary train pipe 2, delivering compressed air -to the brakes beneath the various cars constituting the train. The car bodies are supported upon trucks 3 of any suitable construction, and within these trucks are mounted the car wheels 4. Each of the trucks is also provided with a yoke 5 normally extending substantially parallel to the bottom of the car body and terminating adjacent my improved air escape valve. The train pipe 2 is provided with a branch pipe 6 terminating in the plane of the yoke 5. My improved. valve closes the end of this branch pipe 6, and the valve stem 7 nor mally extends through an aperture 5 in the yoke 5. The specific construction of the valve is more clearly indicated in Fig. 1, from which it will be seen that a valve casing 8 is screwed into the end of the pipe 6, and this casing terminates in an inwardlydirected flange 9 "forming the valve seat.

WVithin the valve casing is a valve plate 10 normally resting upon the valve seat and held in engagement with said seat by a coil spring 11 within the valve casing. The opposite end of this spring rests against any suitable projection or shoulder, as, for instance, a collar 12. The valve stem 7 is rigidly secured to the valve plate 10, and extends through an opening in the end of the valve casing. This stem or red is of very much smaller diameter than is said opening, whereby the rod may be moved laterally in any direction to tip the valve plate upon its its seat and permit the escape of air. The valve stem 7 is made of any kind of metal, of suitable length and size, and its weight is such in comparison with the coil srping 11 and pressure of air behind the valve plate 10, that said valve stem 7 will remain in position without any support, and being inserted in the aperture 5" is held in position by the pressure of the air upon said valve plate 10. and said coil spring 11. Normally, the valve stem 7 extends into the aperture 5 in the yoke 5 of the car truck and the valve remains closed. Should the truck become derailed, the position of the yoke 5 in respect to the car body would be changed, and the yoke 5 would therefore occupy a different position in relation to the air escape valve. Should the l'ront end of the truck become derail d and the opposite end remain on the track, or vice versa, the yoke 5 would be raised and the valve opened by the valve stem 7 coming in contact with said yoke 5.

It will thus be noted that any variation of the relationship between the truck and the car body, caused by any possible derailment of the truck, would operate the air valve and cause the brakes to be applied throughout the train. So long as the truck remains on the track, the yoke 5 continues in its normal position and the valve stem 7 in its proper position and there is very little vibration of the yoke in respect to the valve stem, but should the truck become derailed it would .then. no longer run along smoothly, but the ITO .the accident occurs, for as soon as the position of the yoke 5 is varied in respect to the valve stem 7, the valve operates and the brakes applied.

Various changes may be made in the construction and operation of my improved device, as it is evident that the valve may terminate adjacent the truck itself and its valve stem rest thereon, or may be operated in various ways by the derailment of the truck.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a device of the class described, an air pipe system having an outlet valve, said valve comprising a valve plate and a valve stem secured thereto, a car truck, and means carried by the car truck and supported adj acent said valve stem whereby any abnormal movement of the truck in respect to the valve, opens said valve.

2. In combination, an air brake system having an air escape valve, said valve comprising a spring-pressed valve plate, a valve stem secured thereto, a car truck and means carried by the truck and surrounding said valve stem, whereby said valve may be opened by the raising or lowering of the valve stem.

3. In combination, an air brake system having an air escape valve, said valve comprising a vertical valve seat, a valve plate in engagement therewith, means for resiliently holding said valve plate in engagement with I said seat, and a valve stem secured to said valve plate and extending in a horizontal direction, whereby the valve may be opened by a movement of said valve stem in any direction.

4. In combination, an air brake system, an outlet valve, said valve comprising a valve casing having an annular valve seat therein, a valve plate supported upon said seat, a valve stem of smaller diameter than the opening in the valve seat, a spring for normally holding said valve plate in engagement with the seat, a car truck, and means whereby the derailment of the truck will cause the raising or lowering of the valve stem upon the valve.

5. In combination, an air brake system, an air escape valve located therein, said valve having an annular valve seat, a valve plate supported thereon, a spring for normally holding said valve plate in engagement with said seat, avalve stem of smaller diameter than the opening in the valve seat, whereby the valve stem may be moved sideways in any direction to incline the valve plate, a car truck, and means adjacent said valve stem and carried by said truck whereby the valve is normally held in its closed position by the air pressure and spring but may be opened by any abnormal movement of truck in respect thereto.

6. In combination, an air brake system having an air escape valve, said valve comprising an annular valve seat, a valve plate in engagement therewith, means for resiliently holding said. valve plate in engagement with said'seat,a valve stem secured to said valve plate and of a smaller diameter than the opening in the valve seat, a car truck, and a yoke carried by said truck and having air aperture through which the valve stem extends whereby the derailment of the car truck causes the opening of the air brake valve and the setting of the air brakes.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ROBERT PORT WILLIAMS.

IVitnesses:

FRANK BROOKS FOSTER, WV. P. BUTCHER. 

